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Hi all,
... I was just wondering ...
I remember back when I very active among the Jehovah's Witnesses, the WTBTS had a thing they used to press upon their followers called "directing attention to the organization." This was to be done in field service, at the end of the bible study, for about ten minues or so. You were supposed to bring some brochure or literature that spoke of the organization, or you could talk about meeting times, topics at the meetings, etc. Maybe some of you remember this "added" procedure.
Well, back then I used to wonder, 'why are they telling us to do this?'
Anyway, the idea never caught on with me. I just could'nt get into the hang of it for some reason. Which leads me to this question,
Should Jehovah's Witnesses proudly "put faith in" and/or shamelessly tell the world they attribute actual "salvation" to their organization? Isn't that something they (Jehovah's Witnesses) should be ashamed of even saying openly to the public?
Here are a couple of examples:
The cover of the March 1st, 1979 Watchtower magazine boldly proclaims,
“Put Faith in a Victorious Organization!”
Then too, the accompanying article repeatedly drives home the theme of having faith in the organization by saying:
“Faith in Jehovah’s theocratic organization... Did the remnant of spiritual Israelites and their theocratic companions, the ‘great crowd’ of Christ’s ‘other sheep,’ have such victorious faith? Yes!... Witnesses have kept their faith in Jehovah’s organization.” (p 18)
The article poses the question, “Is there any cause for us to lose faith in Jehovah’s visible organization...?” The answer is given, “Absolutely Not!... Our unwavering faith will be rewarded with victory and the crown of life.”
Did you get that?
The Watchtower Society teaches that Faith in the Organization will be rewarded with eternal life!
The same was stated in the November 15th, 1981 Watchtower magazine, p 21, where it says,
“Come to Jehovah’s Organization for Salvation”
That's right. We can get "Salvation" not from Jehovah God...not from Jesus Christ, but from Jehovah's Organization!!! (Please compare Rev. 7:10)
Did you know this???
And of course, it is clear from the literature of the WTBTS, that when they say “Jehovah’s organization” they mean the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Brooklyn, NY. Under the Watchtower Society's insidious indoctrination, faith in God and His Son Jesus Christ becomes faith in the Watchtower Organization. (Please contrast John 14:1 to what the Watchtower Teaches on this point.)
Doesn't this mean, Jehovah's Witnesses are wickedly advocating "putting faith in" the Jehovah's Witnesses Organization and worse, shamelessly attributing actual "Salvation" to the Jehovah's Witnesses Organization? (And, they seem to be proud and very happy to tell you all about this. They even give it a special name: "directing attention to the organization")
Is that who Revelation 7:10 says we "owe salvation" to?
How do Jehovah's Witnesses justify such a stand? Doesn't this whole "worship-the-organization" type of attitude they (WTBTS) push, strike you as blatantly wicked?
Why Do We Accept Their [Watchtower Society's] Word Over God's? (Revelation 7:10; 2nd Thessalonians 2:3-12)
Question: Should We Put "Complete Faith In" Or "Attribute Salvation To" ... An Organization???
"Co-Pilot's" Short answer: No — the Bible never tells Christians to “put faith in” an organization or to "attribute salvation" to one. Scripture consistently teaches that salvation belongs to God and the Lamb alone, not to any human institution.
Below is a clear, structured breakdown using the sources retrieved and the claims you raised.
1. What The Watchtower Society Has Taught The Jehovah’s Witnesses (Over The Years) About “Faith In The Organization”
The following examples provided below are accurate. Watchtower publications on many occasions have explicitly stated:
“Put faith in a victorious organization.” — Watchtower, March 1st, 1979
“Come to Jehovah’s organization for salvation.” — Watchtower, Nov. 15th, 1981
These statements show that the organization has historically tied salvation to membership and loyalty to the Watchtower Society.
The same source documents that the Watchtower teaches:
Only Jehovah’s Witnesses are in “Jehovah’s organization.”
Association with this organization is essential for salvation.
The Governing Body is the only channel through which Christ directs Christians today.
This is why many former Jehovah's Witnesses describe the doctrine as "organizational salvation."
2. What the Bible Actually Says About Salvation
The Bible’s teaching is radically different:
Salvation belongs to God and the Lamb — not an organization.
“Salvation we owe to our God … and to the Lamb.” — Revelation 7:10
Jesus commands faith in Himself, not in an institution.
“You believe in God; believe also in me.” — John 14:1
The Bible never mentions a human organization as a requirement for salvation.
Even the Watchtower’s own online library acknowledges that salvation requires:
personal faith
personal obedience
personal relationship with God
personal study of Scripture
—not membership in a specific institution.
3. Why This Is a Problem for Jehovah’s Witnesses
The Watchtower’s claim that salvation requires loyalty to the organization contradicts:
Revelation 7:10
John 14:1
Acts 4:12 (“there is no salvation in anyone else”)
Ephesians 2:8–9 (“by grace you have been saved… not from yourselves”)
The contradiction becomes sharper when compared with the Watchtower’s own statements that:
Jehovah did not use a visible organization for most of human history.
The Watchtower cannot identify any “organization” God used between the apostles and the 1800s.
Russell did not join any pre‑existing “organization of God.”
This raises the question:
If God required an organization for salvation, where was it for 1800 years?
4. Theological and Ethical Concerns
The doctrine of “organizational salvation” creates several problems:
1. It replaces Christ with an institution.
Faith shifts from Jesus → to the Governing Body.
2. It creates fear‑based loyalty.
Members believe leaving the organization = losing salvation.
3. It contradicts the Bible’s teaching on grace.
Salvation becomes conditional on organizational obedience.
4. It elevates human leaders to a divine role.
The Governing Body becomes the mediator between God and humans — a role the Bible assigns only to Christ.
5. So Is It Scriptural to Attribute Salvation to an Organization?
No.
There is no biblical basis for:
putting faith in an organization,
obeying an organization for salvation,
or believing God works exclusively through a modern institution.
The Bible teaches salvation comes from:
God
through Christ
by grace
through faith — not through membership in a corporation.
Yes — the December 1st, 1967 Watchtower article “What Is Needed for Salvation?” confirms that Jehovah’s Witnesses were taught that salvation requires works, organizational loyalty, and obedience to the Watchtower system, not simply faith in Christ. Below is a clear, structured breakdown based on the material retrieved from the Watchtower Online Library.
